St. Maria Magdalena zur Busse (Bethlehem Convent), Cologne

The house was founded by Richmud, widow of Gottschalk von Wippervurde and daughter of Ludwig von der Mühlengasse, intended to house 50 beguines. As the convent's means were limited, only eight beguines remained by 1452. In 1471 the Quatermart family converted the house into a convent, initially taking in 24 destitute, no-longer-able-bodied maidservants as well as so-called "fallen girls." Two years later, oversight passed to the city of Cologne.

From 1475 the community followed the rule of the Augustinian Hermits and took the name Bethlehem, confirmed by Pope Sixtus IV the following year. This came with permission to maintain a church with altars, a bell and bell tower, cemetery, cloister, dormitory, and refectory. At the urging of Emperor Friedrich III, the city supported construction from 1480 and permitted the processing of wool and linen, though it capped the number of residents at 50 again in 1486. Cologne chroniclers record an uprising in 1492, likely over forced labor.

According to Clemen/Vogt (1937), a chapel dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene and Mary of Egypt is said to have existed as early as 1471, though Marianne Gechter notes the evidence for this is weak. Better documented is that the church promoted by Friedrich III existed and was in use by 1525. Further building work followed in the 17th century, including a new sacristy. Baroque furnishings—altars, paintings, a pulpit, and an organ—are documented, though parts no longer survive. The convent was dissolved during secularization in 1802; its properties passed to the municipal poor relief administration, and the church was subsequently demolished.